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David Viera
Real Name: David J. Viera Aliases: None known Wanted For: Murder Missing Since: June 25, 1988 Case Details: Thirty-year-old David Viera is wanted for the murder of his thirty-one-year-old wife, Alice, whom he bludgeoned and stabbed to death in their home in New Bedford, Massachusetts. They were actually first cousins; they were both born on the island of St. Michael in the Azores. When she was nine, she and her family moved to New Bedford. Her father was a strict Catholic who would not allow his daughters to wear makeup or shorts or have boyfriends. When she was twelve, David began writing her and asked her to marry him. Even more surprising was that her parents took it seriously. The letters continued for five years, but they never even spoke on the phone. David and Alice met for the first time in summer 1974. On June 29, they were married on the island of St. Michael. At the time, he was sixteen and she was seventeen. She thought that she would finally gain some freedom by being away from her parents. They settled in New Bedford and he soon found a job at a textile plant. Within a year, she was pregnant. The marriage seemed happy at first. However, he soon began to act like her father, refusing to allow her to wear makeup or leave without his permission. By 1981, David and Alice had three children. According to her sister, Fatima, he often yelled at his family. He seemed to get angry for no rational reason. He also became physically abusive. When she told her parents that she wanted to leave him, they would not let her do so as they did not believe in divorce. Finally, after fourteen years of abuse, Alice had the courage to defy her parents and David. In summer 1988, she kicked him out and tried to rebuild her life. She enrolled in nursing school and started dating a new man. However, David started to stalk her at work and home. On July 25, 1988, she and her boyfriend were at home when she noticed David outside in his car. A few moments later, he broke down the door and began to beat her over the head with a tire jack. Her boyfriend, who witnessed the attack, fled to a nearby police station. When police and paramedics arrived at the scene, they found her dead. She had been bludgeoned and then stabbed twenty-four times with a butcher knife. David later vanished that day; investigators later learned that he had taken a bus from Fall River to Boston. He then fled to Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, and has not been seen since. Extra Notes: This case first aired on the April 13, 1994 episode. A brief update aired one week later on April 20. A full one aired on May 25. Some sources spell their last name as "Vierra" and "Vieira". Results: Captured. Within minutes of the broadcast, investigators received leads about David. Less than two days later, he was arrested in a Portuguese community in Montreal. He had lived there for several years and had been working at a fish market. He was extradited to Massachusetts. In May 1996, he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for fifteen years. He is currently being held at a medium security prison in Massachusetts. Links: * Husband sought in woman's slaying * City man pleads guilty to murder eight years after killing his wife * Alice Viera on Find a Grave ---- Category:Massachusetts Category:1988 Category:Murder Category:Captured